Draíocht is delighted to welcome Dublin 15 based artist Desmond Kenny to both the Ground & First Floor Galleries in the summer of 2011. Kenny has had an active relationship with Draíocht since we first opened our doors 10 years ago, holding a solo show in June of 2001. This will be the first major solo exhibition of Kenny’s new departure into abstract painting. A retrospective of Kenny’s earlier figurative work will run concurrently in the First Floor Gallery.

For the past 22 years Kenny has worked as a figurative painter. Through portraiture, landscape, the nude figure and Dublin City Street scenes he has explored diverse subject matter. Over the past 3 years his style has shifted into that of a more abstract painter. The sudden change occurred whilst looking at paintings produced by his grand niece in his studio. Her work appeared free and spontaneous and not bound by art history. To tap into this elemental childlike creativity the artist removed all figuration from his work. Whilst still concerned with painting the resulting body of work is greatly removed from Kenny’s previous practice.

Desmond Kenny is an artist based in Hartstown, Dublin 15. He is a self taught painter, since he began making art in 1986 he has since exhibited widely in Ireland and abroad, solo shows include Draíocht in 2001, The Lab in 2006 and Pallas Contemporary Projects in 2008. His work is included in many collections including the Office of Public Works, SIPTU, and Fingal County Council. Kenny practices also incorporates print making and he has been a member of Graphic Studio Dublin since 2004.